"Sehwag's absence, not fatigue cost India"

Former captain Sourav Ganguly has rejected coach Gary Kirsten's claim that fatigue was a reason behind India's early ouster from the T20 WC and said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men missed Virender Sehwag badly in the tournament.

While Kirsten had blamed an overdose of cricket and Indian Premier League as the cause for the World Cup fiasco, India skipper Dhoni continued to differ with his coach, saying the team's early exit has nothing to do with 'fatigue factor'.

Ganguly bluntly disagreed with Kirsten on the cause of the debacle and said for a young team like India, fatigue can't be an excuse.

"I don't agree with this because they are young boys. They are just 22, 23 years old and have just started their career."

Ganguly felt Sehwag's absence made a major difference in realizing the fortune of the team in the biennial event.

"Sehwag makes a major difference in the team. Rohit (Sharma) was opening the batting for the first time but he didn't do well in the last three matches.

Sehwag, Sachin (Tendulkar), and Gambhir (Gautam) are key part of the Indian team in the shorter format of the game.

With those two (Sehwag and Tendulkar) missing, obviously there was a bit of weakness," the former India skipper said.

Ganguly, however, refused to draw any adverse conclusion from the World Cup debacle and feels the real test for India is five-day game and One-day Internationals, not Twenty20.

"This things happen in sport. Just like any Indian supporter you feel bad, but this team has done well in the past one, one-and-a-half year."

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi dedicated his inspiring performances in the T20 WC triumph to victims of the conflict in his troubled nation.
"Throughout the world cup I only thought about winning this for those people who have been affected by terrorism in our country," Afridi told reporters on Wednesday.